McCarthy acted on his own initiative when his company advance was held up by uninterrupted Japanese rifle, machinegun, and high-velocity 47mm. Naval Service. John Basilone, USMC by Jim Proser and Jerry Cutter, The Heart of Hell: The Untold Story of Courage and Sacrifice in the Shadow of Iwo Jima by Mitch Weiss. When his comrades were stalled by a concentrated machinegun and mortar barrage, he gallantly stood upright and exposed himself to the enemy’s view, thereby drawing the hostile fire to his own person and enabling him to observe the location of the furiously blazing hostile guns. Under a furious barrage of enemy machinegun and small-arms fire from the commanding cliffs on the right, Col. Instantly shouting a warning, he unhesitatingly threw himself on the deadly missile, absorbing the shattering violence of the exploding charge in his own body and protecting his comrades from serious injury. Naval Service. On the following morning, he led a combat patrol to the sniper nest and, while aiding a stricken marine, was seriously wounded. The Corps taught me that. He gallantly gave his life in the service of his country. Medal of Honor Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a Platoon Sergeant attached to Company A, 1st Battalion, 25th Marines, 4th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces on Iwo Jima, Volcano Islands, 21 February 1945. Not much else to say, but need twenty words. Berry fearlessly yielded his own life that his fellow marines might carry on the relentless battle against a ruthless enemy and his superb valor and unfaltering devotion to duty in the face of certain death reflect the highest credit upon himself and upon the U.S. Another memorial day has now about come to close. He gallantly gave his life for his country. Employing his weapon with ready accuracy when his platoon was halted by overwhelming enemy fire on 26 February, he first destroyed 2 hostile machinegun positions, then attacked a large blockhouse, completely neutralizing the fortification before dispatching the 5-man crew of a second pillbox and exploding the installation with a terrific demolitions blast. Medal of Honor Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with the 2d Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, on 14 March 1945. Caddy instantly dived on the deadly missile, absorbing the exploding charge in his own body and protecting the others from serious injury. Phillips was the only member of his unit alerted when an enemy handgrenade was tossed into their midst. Unit: 1st Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division. Tales of one of the toughest battles of WWII, Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2008. Risking his own life to save his patient, Pierce deliberately exposed himself to draw the attacker from the cave and destroyed him with the last of his ammunition Then lifting the wounded man to his back, he advanced unarmed through deadly rifle fire across 200 feet of open terrain. Cpl. Dutton Caliber; Reprint edition (November 6, 2007), Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2006. July 2019 Unit: 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. Determined to break through the enemy’s cross-island defenses, Capt. Naval Service. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. Advancing alone, he hurled deadly demolition and white phosphorus grenades into the emplacement, killing 2 of the enemy and driving the remaining 5 out into the adjoining trench system.